300 Series Shinkansen

300 Series Shinkansen
Set F7 in February 2012
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kinki Sharyo, Nippon Sharyo
Type of locomotive	Electric multiple unit
Constructed	1990 – 1998
Number built	1,104 cars (69 sets)
Dimensions	85 ft 6 in (26,050 mm) (end car) × 11 ft 1 in (3,380 mm) × 14 ft 7 in (4,440 mm)
Gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm)
Power supply	Pantograph
Electric system(s)	25 kV AC (60 Hz)
Traction system	Variable frequency (GTO)
Service information
In service	14 March 1992 – 16 March 2012
Formation	16 cars per set
Fleet numbers	J1 – J61, F1 – F9
Preservation information
Preserved	2 cars
Number scrapped	1,102 cars

The 300 Series Shinkansen was a Japanese high-speed electric multiple unit operated by the Central and West Japan Railway Companies from March 1992 to March 2012.

Design

This was the first Shinkansen to depart from the nosecone or bullet styled front ends of previous Shinkansen models. They were only formed as 16 cars and did not feature restaurant cars.

The sets were originally designed on what was known as the "Super Hikari Model", but due to various reasons its design was scrapped.

Variants

The pre-production set J1 (originally J0) was delivered on the 8th of March 1990. After testing and endurance running it was put to work on the Nozomi services in March 1992. On the 1st of March 1991 the train set (a Japanese record at the time) a top speed of 202.3 mph (325.7 km/h). Its differences from the production versions are: different windscreen design; different headlight design; and flared side panels over the front bogies. It was withdrawn in March 2007 after testing new digital ATC equipment on the Tōkaidō line for JR Central.

J sets (1992-2012)

60 of these sets were delivered to JR Central between February 1992 and October 1998. In 2004 plans to improve the ride on JR Central's 300 Series fleet were announced. These modifications were only to be added to the end cars (1 & 16), the pantograph cars (6 & 12) and the Green (luxury) cars (8 to 10). This meant that only seven out of the sixteen cars had this modification. The modification being; better lateral movement control. By February 2007 the whole fleet operated by JR Central had the changes made. Withdrawals of 300 series J sets commenced in July 2007, beginning with set J14. The remaining JR Central 300 series sets were withdrawn on 16 March 2012, with set J57 used for a special Nozomi 329 service from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka. Set J57 featured special badging on its front.

F sets (1992-2012)

9 of these sets were delivered to JR West between December 1992 and September 1993. Withdrawals began in July 2011, beginning with set F5. The last remaining sets were withdrawn by 16 March 2012, with set F7 used for a special Nozomi 609 service from Shin-Osaka to Hakata.

Specifications

Construction is aluminum; one set could hold 1,323 passengers (1,123 standard + 200 green class). The top speed was 170 mph (270 km/h). An entire set had 40 GTO thyristor variable frequency drive traction motors, each producing 400 hp; total output was 16,000 hp (12 mW). It ran off the 25 kV AC, 60 Hz power-grid.

Preservation

The following 300 Series Shinkansen cars have been preserved:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Location	Notes
322-9001	Hitachi	March 1990	March 2007	J0, J1	SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Japan	Ex-pre-production set J1, formerly stored at Hamamatsu Works
323-45	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	May 1997	February 2010	J46	Shinkansen Service & Technology, Hakata, Japan	Used for cleaning training, rarely available for public viewing; transported from Hamamatsu Works in two parts

The following 300 Series Shinkansen cars were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Location	Notes
323-20	Nippon Sharyo	December 1993	January 2010	J21	SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Japan	Removed in December 2013, scrapped at Hamamatsu Works in 2014; 700 Series Shinkansen car 723-9001 currently displayed in its place

Gallery

Pre-production set J1 in 2002

References

• Wikipedia.org